A Lost Transmission
by tinylittlefoxes
Summary: Martha finally gets a chance to see the infamous Rose Tyler with the Doctor.


The first time Martha saw Rose, it had beeen an ordinary day. She had been hanging around in the console room studying anatomy while the Doctor was tinkering with the wiring under the console trying to repair a burnt out light bulb in the wardrobe room. Martha was suddenly aware of a cool sea breeze drifting through the room and looked up to see a cloudy image of a girl with blonde hair clutching her arms against her to fight the cold. She appeared to be walking, searching for something, although the image held in one spot.

"Umm, Doctor!" said Martha. "You've gotta see this!"

"What is it Martha?" he responded from beneath the console.

 _'Where are you?'_ Rose's voice echoed over the TARDIS speakers.

The Doctor's voice responded over the speaker. _"I'm inside the TARDIS. There's one tiny little gap in the universe left. Just about to close. And it takes a lot of power just to send this projection, I'm in orbit around a supernova. I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."_

The Doctor shot out from under the console with wide eyes and a hurt look upon his face. "The wiring...I must have accidentally retrieved this transmission from the TARDIS's memory... I didn't know it was there."

 _"You look like a ghost."_

 _"Hold on."_

Martha watched as the blonde girl's clouded image became lifelike, as if she were really there inside the TARDIS and she walked forward again.

 _"Can I?"_

 _"I'm still just an image...no touch."_

 _"Can't you come through properly?"_

The Doctor walked slowly around the image to face the girl. His face was full of pain and loss and Martha knew without a doubt it was _her_. He stood statue-like and watched and listened as the scene played out. Martha watched from her position behind the Doctor in silence, not daring to move. She wanted to know more about this famous 'Rose Tyler'.

 _"The whole thing was fractured. Two universes would collapse"_

 _"So?"_

 _"Where are we? Where did the gap come out?"_

 _"We're in Norway."_

 _"Norway, right."_

 _"About fifty miles outa Bergin. A place called Darlig Ulv Stranden."_

 _"Dalek?"_

 _"Darlig. It's Norwegian for bad. This translates to Bad Wolf Bay. How long have you got?"_

 _"About two minutes."_

Bad Wolf. Where had Martha heard that before?

Tears were streaming down the Doctors face silently now as he watched. "Please leave Martha." The Doctor hadn't turned to look at her, and had made his request with his eyes still transfixed on the image.

A small squeak came out of Martha, surprised at being broken from the trance of her fascination. She hesitated a moment too long.

"Just go."

So she left, upset and on the verge of tears herself, she ran down the hallway towards her bedroom. But the conversation was playing over the speakers in her room as well.

 _"I can't think of wait to say." Rose laughs to fight back the tears._

 _"You've still got mister Mickey then?"_

 _"There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey and the baby."_

 _"You're not?"_

Martha gasped as her eyes opened wide. She couldn't believe it.

 _"No. It's mum. She's three months gone. More Tylers on the way."_

 _"And what about you?"_

 _"I'm back working in the shop"_

 _"Well good for you"_

 _"Shut up. Nah, I'm not! The Torchwood on this planet's open for business. I figure I know a thing or two about aliens."_

 _"Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth."_ Martha could hear the pride in the Doctor's voice as he said that.

She seemed to break down at this. Martha could hear the sound of painful sobs between words.

 _"You're dead-officially-back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on the list of the dead. And here you are. Living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have."_

 _"Am I ever gonna see you again?"_

 _"You can't."_

 _"What are you gonna do?"_

 _"I've got the TARDIS. Same old life. Last of the Time Lords."_

 _"On your own?"_

Martha sighed heavily at this. She was with him now, a companion, but not a replacement for the infamous Rose. It seemed like as far as the Doctor was concerned, he _was_ still all on his own. But the next thing she heard showed her why. Martha felt a pang of guilt when as she heard the obvious pain in the young girls voice as she forced the next words out strong and clear, as if she'd rehearsed them a thousand times.

 _" I... I love you."_

 _"Quite right to. And I suppose, if it's my last chance to say it. Rose Tyler."_

The transmission ended and the speakers were silent again. She stepped cautiously out of her room and quietly made her way down the hall to the console room.

She saw the Doctor, frozen where she'd left him. She could tell by his breathing that he was crying, although she couldn't see his face.

Long moments passed before he made a move to point his sonic screwdriver at the console for the transmission to play again. He watched a moment before fast forwarding to the desired part.

 _"I ... I love you."_

The Doctors sobs now matched Rose's. Martha watched guiltily, knowing she should turn away.

 _"...and if its my last chance to say it. Rose Tyler,"_

"I love you." The Doctor whispered between sobs as the image disappeared.


End file.
